And than this Albert callid to hym this marcha[=u]t
and sayd/ Dere frende take here v. honderd florins
whyche thou affermest and sayst that thou hast deliuerid
to me And forthwyth tolde hem and toke hem to hym
And lo this good man had leuer to lose his good than
his good name and renome And this other marchant toke
these florins that he had wrongfully receyuyd/ and
enployed them in diuerce marchandise in so moche that
he gate and encresid and wan with them .xv. thousand
florins And whan he sawe that he approchid toward his
deth/ and that he had no children He establisshid
albert his heyr in alle thingis And sayd that with
the .v. honderd florins that he had receyuyd of albert
falsely/ he had goten all y’t he had in the world
And thus by dyuyne pourueance he that had be a theef
fraudelent/ was made afterward a trewe procurour and
attorney of the sayd albert/ But now in this dayes
ther ben marcha[=u]s that do marchandise with other
mens money whiche is taken to hem to kepe/ And whan
they ben requyred to repaye hit they haue no shame
to denye hit appertly/ wherof hit happend that ther
was a marchant whyche had a good & grete name and
renome of kepynge well suche thynges as was delyueryd
to hym to kepe/ But whan he sawe place and tyme/ he
reteynyd hyt lyke a theef/ So hyt befelle that a marchant
of withoute forth herd the good reporte & fame of
this man/ cam to hym and deliuerid hym grete tresour
to kepe/ And this tresour abode thre yer in his kepynge.
And after this thre yer thys marchant cam & requyred
to haue hys good deliueryd to hym agaym/ And thys
man knewe well that he had no recorde ne wytnes to
preue on hym this duete/ Nor he had no obligacion
ne wrytynge of hym therof/ In suche wyse that he denyed
alle entyerly/ And sayd playnly he knewe hym not.
And whan thys good man herde and vnderstode thys.
he wente sorowfully and wepynge from hym so ferre
and longe that an old woman mette wyth hym/ And demanded
of hym the cause of hys wepynge/ And he sayd to her/
woman hit apperteyneth no thynge to the Go thy way/
And she prayd hym that he wold telle her the cause
of hys sorowe/ For parauenture she myght gyue hym counceylle
good and prouffytable. And than this man told
to her by ordre the caas of his fortune/ And the old
woman that was wyse & subtyll demanded of hym yf he
had in that cyte ony frende whiche wold be faythfull
and trewe to hym And he sayd y’e that he had
dyuerce frendes/ Than said she goo thou to them and
saye to them that they do ordeyne and bye dyuerce cofres
& chestis/ And that they do fylle them with som olde
thinges of no value/ and that they fayne And saye
that they be full of gold, siluer & other Iewels and
of moche grete tresour/ And than that they brynge them
to this sayd marchant And to saye to hym that he wold
kepe them/ For as moche as they had grete trust and
affiance in hym And also that they haue herd of his
grete trouthe and good renome/ And also they wold goo
in to a fer contre And shold be longe er they retorned
agayn And whilis they speke to hym of this mater/